Elevator controls



March 3, 1964 Filed Oct. 31, 1960 P. F. DE LAMATER ELEVATOR CONTROLS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 PABLL DE LAM/ATER W L7/M' ATTORNEYS March 3, 1964 P. F. DE LAMATER ELEVATOR CONTROLS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 0G11. 5l, 1950 GN B\ m 3| Mexm) am cULtA) W RSU-1 l: C: O o s2 6A 53 MGXB) ama) cuua) @y Rsu-z C: :l --o o o* 34 35 Mexm) smc) cuuo) w RSU-3 E 1:! -0 o P m O 55 n 37 Mexm) smo) cuun) w RSU-4 :l E o H M Q se V f V cum) :I a o -ss CA (A) 5| uNtA) 4o, 77

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PABLJL DE LAMATER ATTORNEYS March 3, 1964 P. F. DE LAMATER ELEVATOR CONTROLS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 AMR(A) Filed OGC. 5l, 1960 JNVENTOR.

PAUL ,DE LMTER pff' ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,123,180 ELEVATOR CONTROLS Paul F. De Lamater, Toledo, Ohio, assigner to Toledo Scale Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 31, 1960, Ser. No. 66,096 14 Claims. (Cl. v187-29) This invention relates to controls for elevator systems and more particularly to controls for the disposition of elevator cars at and adjacent dispatching terminals to insure their most eiiicient utilization.

Heretofore, it has been known to release cars from a given landing on a scheduled basis in order that those cars can travel from that landing and be spaced with some degree of uniformity throughout the range of car travel. In many such systems the cars are also capable of serving landings displaced from the dispatching terminal in a direction opposite that of the preponderance of landings. Thus, where the dispatching terminal is in the lower portion of the building and the preponderance of landings is above that terminal, one or more landings which are served by one or more cars frequently are located below the terminal. The location of the dispatching terminal ordinarily is determined by the patterns of passenger traffic within the building such that the lower dispatching terminal is selected at that landing at which the preponderance of entering traiiic is encountered. In some instances, substantial traflic is experienced at landings beyond the dispatching terminal and systems have been proposed wherein the dispatching terminal can be shifted either manually or automatically in order to accommodate a temporary traic pattern wherein the preponderant trahie is below the terminal.

At certain times during the operation of a bank of elevators having a dispatching terminal, cars accumulate at that terminal. One such car, that conditioned as next to be dispatched, receives the incoming load. The remaining cars in effect remain idle at the floor and serve no useful function. In some systems those remaining cars are made available to serve landings beyond the dispatching iloor in a direction opposite the normal dispatching direction and upon traveling to those landings and satisfying the demands for such service imposed upon them, the cars are returned to the dispatching floor to again stand idle until again accepted for loading and dispatching. While in this idle state, those cars frequently confuse incoming passengers who inadvertently will enter those cars and later realizing their error leave and enter other cars all to the detriment of the service provided.

An object of this invention is to improve the service provided by an elevator system having a dispatching terminal and landings beyond the dispatching terminal in a direction opposite the normal dispatching direction therefrom.

Another object is to increase the utilization and speed of service provided by cars in the vicinity of the dispatching terminal.

A further object is to reduce or to eliminate confusion among passengers as to the car to enter at a dispatching terminal.

A more specific object is to enhance the service provided by elevator cars at landings beyond a dispatching terminal while minimizing any detrimental effects of such service on the dispatching operation.

In accordance with the above objects, one feature of this invention is to retain cars which are required to travel to landings beyond the dispatching terminal at those landings until they are needed for loading at the dispatching terminal or until service is required from the landing toward the dispatching terminal. Thus, for eX- ample, in a building having a lower dispatching terminal 3,123,180 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 and a basement below that terminal, cars which are caused to travel to the basement, as by virtue of car calls registered by passengers entering the cars at floors above the basement, will remain at the basement and available to carry passengers upward therefrom until passengers register requirements for such travel on the system or a vacancy occurs in the sequencing of cars at the dispatching terminal indicating that the car could be used to better advantage at the dispatching terminal. Additional features of the invention involve selecting means capable of selecting single cars for release from the floor beyond to return to the dispatching terminal, and means to effect the release of cars at landings beyond the dispatching terminal sufficiently in advance of the need of their presence at the dispatching terminal to enable those cars to reach the terminal prior to or at the moment they are capable of being utilized effectively.

The above and additional objects and features of this invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a diagrammatic representation of a bank of four elevators serving a plurality of landings including a lower dispatching landing and two landings below that lower dispatching landing;

FIG. Il is an across-the-line diagram of portions of the control circuit which function in the system of this invention for a typical individual elevator;

FIG. III is an across-the-line circuit diagram of certain of the circuits functioning in the dispatching sequence of a typical system utilizing the features of this invention; and

FIG. IV is an across-the-line diagram of certain circuits individual to the several cars of the system and other circuits common to the cars of the system according to this invention.

The present invention is illustrated as applied to a group of four elevators serving fifteen landings including a sub-basement, a basement, a lower main landing and twelve landings above the main landing. The cars can be arranged to be released for travel from the dispatching floor or lower main landing by a dispatching mechanism such as a dispatch timer (not shown) operating at intervals which depend upon the demands imposed on the system and the utilization of the system. Normally, the cars will be released from the dispatching floor, will serve the registered calls and will return to the dispatching floor. Much of the signal and control mechanism individual to the cars and common to the group of cars is not shown in the present disclosure. It is to be understood that this invention is applicable to a number of forms of modern elevator systems. However, for purposes of illustration, the invention may be considered as suitable for integration in a system of the type disclosed in R. A. Burgy United States patent application Serial No. 808,290 which was filed March 30, 1959, and is entitled Elevator Controls.

While the description of this system considers the automatic operation of the elevator cars in response to car calls and hall calls registered by passengers and prospective passengers without the services of attendants on the cars, it is to be appreciated that many of its features are applicable to systems operating with attendant control of the cars wherein signals instructing the attendants as to the desired car operation are issued within the car in place of the automatic starting and/ or stopping of the car.

In the illustrated system of FIG. I the sub-basement and basement floors have been labeled as such. The lower main terminal has been designated as landing 1 and the upper terminal as landing T. Typical intermediate floors are shown. It will be understood, of course, that @naaien the invention is applicable to a bank of elevators containing any number of cars, although it is particularly applicable to banks of four or more cars, and to systems serving any number of floors. In the drawings where duplicate elements are shown for the several cars, those elements individual to the cars have been identified by a suffix letter characteristic of the car enclosed in parenthesis.

Car A is typical of those in the system. It includes the car 11(A) suspended from cables 12(A) trained over a traction sheave 13(A) driven by a lifting motor 2l4(A) which may be of any convenient type. Coupled to the opposite end of the lifting cable 2(A) is a counterweight 15(A). A door selector l6(A) is associated with the car to establish appropriate circuits for the current effective position of the car. This licor selector can be of the commutating type carrying a plurality of brushes on a crosshead arranged for vertical travel along a path corresponding to the car travel. Ordinarily, contacts having similar or related functions at the several landings are oriented in vertical lanes on the floor selector and the contacts performing different functions at each landing are generally aligned in rows transverse of those lanes. The crosshead can be arranged either to move in synehronism with the car or in advance of the running of the car. When an advancing type of crosshead is used its position corresponds to car position when the car is stopped. While the contacts of the oor selector illustrated in the circuits to be described are mechanically commutated for a crosshead which is advanced with respect to the car while it is running, it is to be appreciated that the controls can be arranged to employ electromechanical or relay type iloor selectors and that other forms of door selector devices also lend themselves to systems utilizing this invention.

Group control of the cars is realized by integrating the cars into a system assuring inter-related operation by means of a group supervisory control schematically represented by the rectangle 17 linked to the floor selectors and the individual car control circuits by cable l. The group supervisory control 17 includes much of the dispatching equipment with which this invention is concerned.

Landing call registering means 19 are located at each of the several iloors and include down hall call registering means at thetop through the basement and up hall call registering means at the sub-basement through the door adjacent the top or the twelfth floor, as in the example. These call registering means are common to all the cars and are represented as interconnected to` the several cars through the group supervisory control rectangle 17 by means of cabling Z0. Control panels (not shown) are provided within the cars and include car call registering buttons (not shown) for registering the service requirements of the passengers on the cars.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the circuits illustrated in FIGS. Il through 1V an alphabetical listing of the symbols for the relays and contacts utilized is presented below, together with a short description of those relays and, if shown, the location of their actuating coils. All of the circuits are in across-the-line diagram form. Relay contacts are often located remote from their actuating coils. In order to correlate the location of the actuating coils and contacts a marginal key has been employed with each circuit diagram. With this key each diagram has been divided into horizontal bands which are identiied with line numbers in the right hand margin. Relay symbols are located in the margin to the right of the line members and in horizontal alignment with the coil positions. The location of each contact actuated by a relay coil is set forth to the right of the symbol in the key by the numeral of the line upon which it appears. The numerals designating the location of back contacts, those which are normally closed when the relay is denergized and are open when it is energized, are underlined in the key to distinguish them from front contacts, those which are closed upon the energization of their actuating coil. Thus basement relay BR has its actuating coil located at line 19. While a BR relay is provided for each car and contacts for the BR relay of each of cars A through D are shown in the diagrams, it has been assumed that the relays shown on FIG. ll represent those of car A. Accordingly, the marginal code of contact locations is limited to those for relay BR(A). Thus relay BR(A) has normally open or front contacts located at lines l2, 20, 4l and 6l and a normally closed or back contact at line 32 as signified by the numerals in the right hand portion of the key in FIG. Il.

The relays and switch symbol illustrated are as follows:

Line location Function A car available relay Above main floor relay Advance motor relay, cars A to D. Auxiliary start relay Car call above Door closing relay Up dispatch relay Up load relay, cars A to D Lower terminal car selection relay,

cars A to D.

Up load control timer Failure relay Group service relay Up dispatch control relay Up scheduling relay lasement iioor control relay.. Lowe rdispatch terminal relay Starting time control relay Auxiliary lower disptaeh terminal relay. Upper disptach terminal relay Car button reset relay, cars A to D Rheostat relay Direction throivovcr relay Basement release selector sWiteh Basement release selector stopping relay. Up rotary dispatch selcctor Up disptaoh control relay. First basement up landing call Up signal direction relay Load car sequence relay C D CUL(A) to (D CUN(A) t0 (D) Operation of the cars` when in proximity to the lower dispatching terminal will be considered to illustrate the invention and the circuits utilized in its realization. Starting of the car after it has stopped at any landing involves the operation of auxiliary start relay AS at l1 of FIG. II in conjunction with conventional car starting circuits (not shown). This relay remains energized except when a car starting operation is to be prevented. When a car is at the lower dispatching terminal, starting is prevented by opening contact MG. When it is at the top dispatching terminal, it is prevented by opening contact MGI. Contact BHR is ordinarily closed and functions in the holding of cars at the basement as will be described. Basement relay contact BR paralleling contact MG at line 12 functions as ay car returns from the basement to maintain relay AS energized at the lower terminal. While a ycar is at :a `basement relay AS can be energized by the registration of a car call for a landing above through operation of relay CBA closing its contact at 12 around open basement holding relay Contact BHR. Upon energization of relay AS the car is started provided the usual prerequisites for car starting are fulfilled.

In the system with which this invention is illustrated, the cars are provided with electromagneticaliy held car buttons which, when actuated, remain closed until the trip is completed. Upon completion of the trip, the car buttons are reset by releasing their holding coil through the operation of car button reset relay RB at 13. Car reversal is also accomplished through this circuit by the operation of a direction throwover switch RL at 13. Qnly that portion of direction throwover switch which sets the car for travel upward is shown inasmuch as the illustrative embodiment has been confined to operation at the lower terminal and the basements where a descending car is reset for up travel. Position of the car is indicated to the car button reset and direction throwover circuits through floor selector segments 91 and cooperating brush 92 carried by the crosshead. When the Car is eiectively positioned at the lower dispatching terminal, the segment 91(1) at 13 is engaged by brush 9'2 as shown. If the car is set for downward travel so that its up signal direction relay is deenergized to close contact UL at 13 and no basement landing or car call to which it can respond is registered to open a basement Hoor control relay back contact MDS, all car calls are cancelled by energization of coil -RB and the car is set for travel upward by energization of RL. -An ascending car, when traveling upward from one of the basements and arriving at the lower dispatching terminal, would have no effect on RB and RL inasmuch `as back contact UL at 13 would be opened. A descending car which has accepted a call for basement service would have no effect on RB and RL since back contact MDS would be open at the time brush 92 engaged segment 91(1).

Reversal of the car at the basement or sub-basement can be accomplished by the engagement of brush 92 with segments 91(13) or 91.(SB). In all instances when a car reaches the sub-basement, its direction is thrown over to up travel and its car button reset relay is energized since a circuit is completed through segment 91 (SB). At the rst basement, reversal reset can be accepted if no requriement for service below that landing is imposed upon the car so that its basement floors control relay MDS is deenergized to close its contact at 13 while brush 92 engages contact 91(13).

The circuit at 16 including contacts RB and brake rel-ay contact BKS is provided to maintain car button reset relay energized until the brake is set and relay BK3 opens its contact, thereby insuring proper operation of the circuits dependent upon relay RB and avoiding an abbreviated operation of that relay and the possibility of a false operation when the direction throwover is accomplished rapidly and contact UL at 13 is opened. The contacts of relay RL remain in their altered condition despite the deenergization of its coil (not shown) for setting the car controls for down travel which is energized at the end of the up trip of the car.

The presence of a carat the lower dispatching terminal is indicated by the engagement of segment 93(1) by brush 94 carried by the iloor selector crosshead to energize main floor dispatching relay MGX and MG. These relays alter the circuits, particularly :in the dispatching functions as will be described.

Basen-tent relay BR at 19 is energized as the car effectively travels bellow the main landing and carries its brush 94 into contact with iioor selector segment 93(B). This relay is disabled when the car is above the lower dispatching floor since above main hoor relay AMF (not shown) is energized at `that time to open its contact at 19. While at :and ybelow the main floor basement relay BR, when once energized, is held in through the seal circuit comprising Contact BR and back contact CUL at 210. This holding circuit is broken when the car enters the up load status of the dispatching sequence and relay CUL is energized.

The system under consideration here can be provided with controls ywhich alter the operating pattern of the erlevators, rotten termed program controls, and dispatch timers which are altered in their operating interval in response, in part, to the length ci' time, the oars are stopped while operating at landings between their effective terminals. Starting time control relay MGF provides the means for sensing the time the car is stopped. This is measured from the moment the slowdown of the oar is initiated in response to :a call requiring the car to stop as indicated by the drop-oust of advance motor relay AMR and the closing of back cont-act AMR at line 21. The stop interval ends when the door closing operation is initiated and door closing relay CL2 is energized to open its back contact at 21. The relay MGF is individual to and is effective for eac-h Ioar in group service and having its GS contact at 21 closed during the time that car is released by the basement hold relay to close contact BHR `ait 21 and is at a landing other than the upper terminal indicated by closed Contact MGI `or Ithe lower dis-patching terminal as 'indicated by closed contact MG.

FlG. lll shows a portion of the dispatching system for the lower terminal including car available relays CA which indicate the presence of a car at the terminal and the availability or that car tor introduction into the dispatch-ing sequence, lower terminal car selection relays CUN which are energized `when the car is selected for travel from the lower terminal either Ito serve basement calls or to enter the up dispatching sequence and up load relay CUL. Relay CUL is energized when the car enters the up dispatching `sequence to exclude other cars from up load status `and condition the assigned car for loading as by actating appropriate indicators at the dispatching terminal and by preparing the cars dispatching circuits so that the car is started upon the issuance of `the next dispatch signal. Selection of a oar at the lower dispatching terminal is effected by lower terminal rotary oar selector RSU which unctions in the energizing circuit Afor fthe lower terminal car selection relay CUN or" a car which is available at the lower tenminall. The availability of atleast one car at the lower terminal :is indicated by the energization of relay ACA.

Arrival of a car at the lower dispatching terminal closes its MGX contact and maintains that contact closed until the car is dispatched. If the car arrived on a downward trip, its basement relay is deenergized and a circuit is complete for its car available relay inthe case of car A as follows: From a suitable source of alternating current (not shown) through lead GN, contacts MGX(A), BR(A) and CUL(A), all at 32, through coil CA(A) at 31 to the other side ofthe supply iat lead B. This circuit also parti-ally completes the lower terminal car selection relay circuit at 32. Relay CA closes its contact at 51. If no car has been selected at the lower terminal, back contact RU at 5.1 is closed and an energizing circuit for the rotary switch RSU is completed. This switch is of the stepping variety and successively closes contacts RSU-1, RSU-2, RSU-3 and RSU-4 at 32, 34, 36 and 38. Assuming that contact RSU-3 were closed at this rnoment and that car A was the arriving car, the switch would operate to close RSU-4 and open RSU-3 with no eiect. It next .would close RSU-1 and open RSU-4. This would complete an enengizing circuit for lower terminal car selection relay CUN (A) `and CUN(A) would pull in 11o close its contact at line 77, thereby energizing up dispatch control relay RU to open its contact :at 51 and terminate the operation of rotary selector switch RSU. Car A would then be selected and would close its CUN(A) contacts at line 40 to partially comple-te the circuit for urp load relay CUL(A). The car would remain .in this status until released therefrom, as for basement service or for assignment to Iup load status upon a vacancy occurring in that status.

Assume that car C is in the up load status and has its CUL(C) relay energized. That relay is sealed in through Contact CUL(C) at 45 and energizes load car sequence relay XT at 82 through closed contact CUL(C) at 83. With XT energized, Contact XT at 85 is closed to energize up load control timer DFUT so `that back contact DFUT at 43 is open and Contact XT at 44 is open. These open contacts bar the energization of the up load rel-ay for another car. When car C is dispatched, its CUL(C) relay is deenergized since its up dispatch relay opens its back cont-act CUD 'at 17 to idrop `ou-t relay MGX and open the up load relay circuit at contact MGX(C) at 36. This opens contact CUL(C) at 83 to deene-rgize XT, closing its contact at 44 and opening its contact at 85. If a car is standing at the lower dispatching terminal after traveling from lthe basement, its BR Contact at 4l, 44 or 50 is closed and upon closure of contact XT, -it is introduced into the dispatching sequence yas the up load oar by energizing its CUL relay. lf no such car is available the selected car is advanced into up load status upon the dropout of up load control timer DFUT a short interval `following the dropout of relay XT by virtue of the closure of back contact DFUT at 43.

Thus car A is introduced into the up load status by energizing relay CUL(A) through the circuit MGX(A) at 32, coil CUT/(A) at 40, contact CUN(A) at 4G, contact DFUT at 43 and cont-acts XT and KU at 44 to the main supply lead B. When CUL(A) pulls in, the availability of car A is cancelled as is its selection by opening back `contact CUL(A) at 32 and the admission of other cars to the up load status is precluded by the energization of XT at 82.

From the above it can be seen that :but one car is utilized at a time in the load status at the lower dispatching terminal and any `addition-al cars at that terminal are suspended in operation with very little utility except for the availability of the selected car, that With its CUN relay energized for response to basement calls. Therefore, cars frequently accumulate at the terminal and particularly in systems having a large number of cars are held at the terminal for substantial intervals. The present invention alleviates -a portion of this idle car time by enabling any car which travels to either of the basements and fulfills the demands imposed upon it while still at the basement to remain at the basement availiable for service therefrom until it can be utilized in the dispatching sequence.

FIG. lV illustrates the basement holding relay circuits. Basement holding relays BHR are of the magnetic latch type wherein energization of coils connected across the horizontal leads to the circle representing the relay pulls in the relay and establishes residual magnetism in its magnetic circuit to maintain the relays pulled in until that magnetism is overcome by opposing 'ux developed in the coils connected between the vertical lead to the symbol and the lefthand horizontal lead thereto. While the car is released from the basement, the hasement holding relays are magnetically latched in and those relays are dropped out while the car is being held. Release of a basement held car is accomplished by a basement release selector RSB at 74 which is a rotary selector `switch of the same general form as the -above described switch RSU. This switch is energized if there is a failure in the system yWarranting the release of `all cars from their detained positions. lf there is a car held at the basement as indicated by a closed basement holding relay contact BHR at 73 to 76 and no car is available at the lower dispatching terminal, back contact ACA at 74 is closed, at the time la predetermined portion of the dispatching interval for the current load car has expired, contact l1 at 74 is closed, or an up landing call has been registered at the first basement which can :be served by a car held either at that basement or the sub-basement contact SBU at 75 is closed, selector RSB is energized to select a held car for release from the basements. The remaining relays shown on FIG. lV have been discussed with respect to the operation of the lower terminal dispatching sequence and need not be considered further at this time.

The invention will best be understood from a consideration of typical operations of the disclosed circuits. A car which accepts a basement call and travels either to the first basement or the sub-basement energizes its BR relay by the engagement of brush 9:4 with segment 93MB) and the operation of the seal circuit through contacts AMF, BR and CUL at 19 and 2O of FIG. II. Basement relay BR then closes its contact in the basement holding relay circuits. For example, as car B runs to the basement Contact BR(B) at 64 is closed. When the car servtl ing the basement has completed its basement service or its descent, car hutten reset relay RB is energized as described to close the reset circuit for its basement holding relay BHR. Thus, in the case `of car B, Contact RB(B) at 66 would be closed into reset circuit for BHR(B). This circuit is completed from lead GN through the rectitier 95, contact BROS), relay reset coil BHR(B) and contact RB(B) to lead B. This drops out relay BHRUS) to close its contact at `line 74 and partially complete the energizing circuit for basement release selector RSB. Contact BHR at line ll is opened to disable the auxiliary start relay so that the car cannot be started. Contact BHR at 2l is opened to prevent operation of starting time control relay MGF and the consideration of the time the car is stopped at the basement in the program computer and dispatcher controls. Car B thereafter remains at the basement landing until it can be utilized in traveling above that landing.

Utilization of a car held at the basement can be by the entry of a passenger who registers a car call. Such a car call would be above the basement if the car is located at the sub-basement and, therefore, would ene-rgize car call above relay CBA to close its contact l2, thereby by-passing open contact BHR and energizing amriliary start relay AS so that the car will run. At the time the cars start circuits are completed, advance motor relay AMR (not shown) is energized. 'This closes its contact in the latch circuits `of relay BHR to pull that relay in and establish the basement released condition. Thus, in the case of car B as the car is started away from the floor contact AMR(B) at 64 is closed to complete energizing circuit for the latch coil of relay BHRUS) from lead GN, through rectier 95, contact BR(B), coil BHR(B), Contact AMR(B) and coil RSBS to lead B.

While the car and floor call circuits for the basement landings have not been shown in detail since they are conventional in nature, it is to be appreciated that a car might complete its service initially at the irst basement and have its EHR relay reset to hold it at that landing. Subsequently, a demand in the form of a car call in the held car or a landing call might require the car to travel downward to the sub-basement. Such travel would reverse the RL relay by means not shown and the car in starting would reenergize its BHR relay to release its basement holding function through the closing of advance motor relay Contact AMR. However, upon reaching the sub-basement, it again would reverse `and actuate its car button reset relay RB While its basement relay BR remained pulled in. Relay BHR would therefore be reset and the car would again be held at the basement until released by 'a car call requiring upward travel or by operation of the basement release selector switch RSB.

In the case of a car call, the registered call is individual to the car and only that car can serve it. Therefore, no car selection is necessary and the direct actuation for the starting circuits of the car is appropriate. However, in the case 4of a landing call at a basement, car selection is desirable inasmuch as if several cars are present at the basement, only one should lbe started away to respond to the landing call. Thus, the determination of which car should respond to that call is made by basement release selector RSB which is energized by an up landing call at the first basement through the closure of contact SBU at 75. This energizing circuit with car B held at the basement is as follows: From the main lead GN through closed contact BHR(B), coil RSB and closed back contact RSBS `all at 74 and contact SBU at 75 to lead B. RSB -begins to hunt as a result of this energization, successively closing the contacts RSB-l, RSE-2, RSE-3, and RSE-4. When RSE-2 is closed at 65 a circuit is completed for the pull-in coil of basement holding relay BHR(B) and for basement selector stop relay RSBS. RSBS opens its back contact at 74 to stop the stepping of RSB. BHR(B) opens its back contact at 74 with no effect. BHR at 1l is closed to energize the auxiliary start relay for car B and BH-R at 211 is closed to energize the starting time control relay MGF for the car. Relays BHR(B) .and RSBS remain energized until contact BR(B) is open. This occurs when the car runs above :the main iioor and `opens its contact AMF at line 19 or when the :car rea-ches the main door and is introduced into the dispatch sequence as an up load car by having its CUL relay energized to open back contacts CUL at line 20. At that time RSBS is deenergized whereby another basement held car can be released by RSB if available for release and if the requisite condiltions prevail. BHR(B) remains pulled in through the residual magnetism in the relay until the car returns to the basement to energize its reset circuit.

Alternatively, a basement held car can be released through the dispatching operation occurring at the lower dispatching terminal. As disclosed in the aforenoted Burgy application, a dispatch timer is ,provided which successively energizes relays at given points in the dispatch interval. The relay l1 (not shown) is one of those dispatch timer energized relays and is energized at the half interval point. Thus, one-half a dispatching inteival after the next preceding dispatch signal or the start away from the dispatching door of a dispatched car, relay J1 is energized and contact J1 at 74 is closed. Thereafter, that relay is maintained energized until the dispatch interval has expired and the dispatch timer has been reset. So long as cars are available at the lower dispatching terminal to hold contact ACA at 74 open, the closure of contact J-l at 74 has no eiiect. Available cars close their CA contacts at line 51 through 54 to maintain a car available relay ACA at 52 energized and, therefore, back Contact ACA at 74 open. If however, a car is being held at the basement and has its BHR contact at lines 73 through 76 closed and a vacancy does occur in the car available status at the lower dispatching licor so that the relay ACA is dropped out and its Contact at 74 is closed, upon the closure of the contact J1, basement release selector RSB is energized and begins to hunt. When the selector inds a held car it pulls in its BHR relay, thereby energizing its auxiliary start relay AS and permitting the car to travel to the lower terminal where it is introduced into the up load status as described above.

If a 4failure occurs in the system dictating that held cars should be released, relay FLA (not shown) is energized to close its contact at line 73. Any car held at the basement will be released by basement release selector RSB while contact FLA `is closed since this contact even by-passes basement selector stop contact RS-BS. The momentary closing of the RSB contacts in the pull-in coil circuits `of any BHR relays for cars held at the basement establishes sufficient residual magnetism in ltheir magnetic circuits to hold those relays in. When all held cars are released from the basement and all BHR contacts at 73 to 76 are open, the basement release selector is stopped.

Trhe system described above included a' lower dispatching Idoor and two basements below that lower dispatching licor and is arranged so that cars traveling to either of the basements and satisfy-ing their current demand at either of those basements on a descending trip will be held at the basement. fIt should be noted that in the disclosed system a car `which stops at the sub-basement and receives a car call dor the rst basement while so stopped will run up to the liirst basement after latching its BHR relay and will not be held at that tirst basement inasmuch as a car button resetting operation will not be performed at that stop and contact RB inthe reset coil for its BHR relay will not be closed. If desired, circuits can be added to incorporate an ladditional resetting operation under thesey rarely encountered conditions without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Further, this system can be arranged to apply to an installation havingl but one basement or having more than two basements. While installations with landings beyond the dispatching terminal at the upper dispatching terminal are encountered rather infrequently, such installations can also effectively use this floor-beyond car holding scheme to advantage and such utilization is contemplated. From the above, it is evident that the system lends itself to many variants and modifications which can be incorporated without departing from its spirit and scope and, therefore, the above description is intended to be read as illus- -trative of one inode of utilizing the invention and not in a limiting sense.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced from said dispatching landing in a dispatching direction and -at least two landings ybeyond said dispatching landing and displaced there-from in a direction opposite said dispatching direction, comprising means to condition cars at said dispatching landing for dispatching, dispatch interval defining means, means individual to the cars to prevent start of said cars from any landing beyond said dispatching landing upon completion of their service to said landing, means to sense the presence of a car available at said dispatching landing and available to be conditioned for dispatching, means tor registering calls in said cars for the landings served thereby, means to release a cal' held by said start preventing means at a landing beyond said dispatching landing in response to a call registered therein, rneans for registering landing calls at said landings beyond said dispatching landing, means for individually selecting cars held at any landing beyond said dispatching landing in response to a landing call at a landing beyond said dispatching landing or in response to the absence of an available car at said dispatching landing during a terminal portion of a dispatching interval, and means responsive on selection of a car for releasing that car from said landing beyond the dispatching landing.

2, An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced trom said dispatching landing in a dispatching direction, and a landing beyond said dispatching land-ing and displaced therefrom in a direction opposite said dispatching direction comprising means to condition cars at said dispatching landing for dispatching, dispatch interv-al dehning means, means individual to the cars to prevent the start of said cars rom said landing beyond upon completion of their service to said landing, means to sense the presence of a car available at said dispatching landing, means for registering calls in said cars for the landing served thereby, means to release a car held at said landing beyond i-n response to a call registered therein, means for individually selecting cars held at a landing beyond in response to the absence of an available car at said dispatching landing during a terminal portion of 4a dispatching interval, and means responsive upon selection of a car for releasing that car from said landing beyond.

3. An elevator system having a plurahity of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced from said dispatching landing in a dispatching direction, and at least two landings beyond said dispatching landing and displaced therefrom in a direction opposite said dispatching direction, comprising means t0 condition cars at said dispatching landing for dispatching, means individual to the cars to prevent the start of said cars from said landing beyond upon completion cf their service to said landing, means for registering landing calls at one of said landings beyond, means for individually selecting cars held at any landing beyond in response to a landing call at a landing beyond, and means responsive upon selection of a car for releasing that car from said landing beyond.

4. An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced from said dispatching landing in a dispatching direction, and a landing beyond said dispatching landing and displaced therefrom in a direction opposite said dispatching direction, lcomprising means to prevent the start of said cars from a landing beyond upon completion of their service to said landing, means to sense `a condition wherein said held car can be utilized in service other than at said landing beyond, measn responsive to said car utili- Zation sensing means for individually selecting a car held at a landing beyond, and means responsive upon selection of a car for releasing that car from said landing beyond.

5. A combination in accordance with claim 4 including means responsive upon selection of a car held at said landing beyond to bar the further operation of said selection means until said released car responds to said release.

6. A combination in accordance with claim 4- including means responsive upon selection of a car held at said landing beyond to bar the further operation of said selection means until said released car effectively reaches said dispatching landing.

7. An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced in a dispatching direction from said dispatching landing, and fat least one landing displaced beyond said dispatching landing in a direction opposite said dispatching direction, comprising means for stopping said cars at said dispatching landing, means for selecting said cars at said dispatching landing for dispatching therefrom, means for causing a car to travel to said landing beyond, means to indicate the availability of a car at the dispatching landing for introduction into the dispatching sequence,

sans to hold 'a car at said landing beyond if no demand for service is imposed thereon, and means to release a held car in response to the absence of an available car at said dispatching landing.

.8. An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced in a dispatching direction from said dispatching landing, and at least one landing displaced a direction opposite said dispatchng direction beyond said Idispatching landing, means for stopping said cars at said dispatching landing, means for select-ing said oars at sra-id dispatching landing for dispatching therefrom, means for defining dispatching intervals, rneans for causing a car to travel to said landing beyond, means to indicate the availability of a car at the dispatching landing for introduction into the dispatching sequence, means to hold a car at said landing beyond if no demand for service is imposed thereon, and means to release' a held car from said landing beyond upon definition of a given portion of a dispatching interval.

9. An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced in a dispatching direction from said dispatching landing, and at least one landing displaced in a direction opposite said dispatching landing beyond said dispatching landing, comprising means for stopping cars at said dispatching landing, means for selecting cars at said dispatching landing for dispatching therefrom, means for deiining dispatching intervals, means for causing a car to travel to said landing beyond, means to indicate the availability of a car at the` dispatching landing for introduction into the dispatching sequence, means to hold a car at said landing beyond if no demand for service is imposed thereon, and means to release a held car following the definition of a given portion of a dispatching interval in response to the absence of an available car at said dispatching landing.

10. An elevator system having aplurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced in a dispatching direction from said dispatching landing, and at least one landing displaced in a direction opposite said dispatching direction beyond saidl dispatching landing, comprising means for stopping said Vcars at said dispatching landing, means for selecting cars at said dispatching landing for dispatching therefrom, means for causing a car to travel to said landing beyond, means to l2 hold a car at said landing beyond if no demand for service is imposed thereon, means for selecting a car held at said landing beyond, and means to release a selected car from said landing beyond.

11. An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced in a dispatching direction from said dispatching landing, and at least one landing displaced in a direction opposite said dispatching direction beyond said dispatching landing, comprising means for stopping said cars at said dispatching landing, means for selecting said cars at said dispatching landing for dispatching therefrom, means for causing a car to travel to said landing beyond, means to hold a car at said landing beyond if no demand for service is imposed thereon, means for selecting a car held at said landing beyond in response to a call for service displaced from said dispatching landing in the direction of said landing beyond, and means to release a selected car from said landing beyond.

12. An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced in a dispatching direction from said dispatching landing, and at least one landing displaced in a direction opposite said dispatching direction beyond said dispatching landing, comprising means for stopping said cars at said dispatching landing, means to indicate the availability of a car at the dispatching landing for introduction into the dispatching sequence, means to cause a car to travel to said landing beyond, means to hold a car at said landing beyond ii no demand for service is imposed thereon, means for selecting a car held at said landing beyond in response to the absence of an available car at said dispatching landing, and means to release a selected car from said landing beyond.

13. An elevatorsystem having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced in a dispatching direction from said dispatching landing, and at least one landing displaced in a direction opposite said dispatching direction beyond said dispatching landing, comprising means for stopping the cars at said dispatching landing, means to indicate the availability of a car at the dispatching landing for introduction into the dispatchingk sequence, means for causing a car to travel to said landing beyond, means to hold a car at said landing beyond if no demand for service is imposed thereon, means for dening dispatching intervals, means for selecting a car held at said landing beyond upon deiinition of a given portion of a dispatching interval, and means to release a selected car from said landing beyond.

14. An elevator system having a plurality of cars serving a dispatching landing, a plurality of landings displaced in a dispatching direction from said dispatching landing, and at least one landing displaced in a direction opposite said dispatching direction beyond said dispatching landing, comprising means for stopping said cars at said dispatching landing, means to indicate the availability of a car at the dispatching landing for introduction into the dispatching sequence, means for causing a car to travel to said landing beyond, means to hold a car at said landing beyond if no demand for service is imposed thereon, means for dening dispatching intervals, means for selecting a car held at a landing beyond during a given terminal portion of a dispatching interval in response to the absence of an available car at said dispatching landing, during said terminal portion of said dispatching interval and means to release a selected car from said landing beyond upon selection thereof.

Dinning Sept. 5, 1961 Burgy et al, ca Nov. 27, 1962 

1. AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM HAVING A PLURALITY OF CARS SERVING A DISPATCHING LANDING, A PLURALITY OF LANDINGS DISPLACED FROM SAID DISPATCHING LANDING IN A DISPATCHING DIRECTION AND AT LEAST TWO LANDINGS BEYOND SAID DISPATCHING LANDING AND DISPLACED THEREFROM IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE SAID DISPATCHING DIRECTION, COMPRISING MEANS TO CONDITION CARS AT SAID DISPATCHING LANDING FOR DISPATCHING, DISPATCH INTERVAL DEFINING MEANS, MEANS INDIVIDUAL TO THE CARS TO PREVENT START OF SAID CARS FROM ANY LANDING BEYOND SAID DISPATCHING LANDING UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR SERVICE TO SAID LANDING, MEANS TO SENSE THE PRESENCE OF A CAR AVAILABLE AT SAID DISPATCHING LANDING AND AVAILABLE TO BE CONDITIONED FOR DISPATCHING, MEANS FOR REGISTERING CALLS IN SAID CARS FOR THE LANDINGS SERVED THEREBY, MEANS TO RELEASE A CAR HELD BY SAID START PREVENTING MEANS AT A LANDING BEYOND SAID DISPATCHING LANDING IN RESPONSE TO A CALL REGISTERED THEREIN, MEANS FOR REGISTERING LANDING CALLS AT SAID LANDINGS BEYOND SAID DISPATCHING LANDING, MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY SELECTING CARS HELD AT ANY LANDING BEYOND SAID DISPATCHING LANDING IN RESPONSE TO A LANDING CALL AT A LANDING BEYOND SAID DISPATCHING LANDING OR IN RESPONSE TO THE ABSENCE OF AN AVAILABLE CAR AT SAID DISPATCHING LANDING DURING A TERMINAL PORTION OF A DISPATCHING INTERVAL, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE ON SELECTION OF A CAR FOR RELEASING THAT CAR FROM SAID LANDING BEYOND THE DISPATCHING LANDING. 